Modelling for planning building design - a critique of available approaches

This paper reviews four approaches used to create rational tools to aid the planning and the management of the building design process and then proposes a fifth approach. The new approach that has been developed is based on the mechanical aspects of technology rather than subjective design issues. The knowledge base contains, for each construction technology, a generic model of the detailed design process. Each activity in the process is specified by its input and output information needs. By connecting the input demands of one technology with the output supply from another technology a map or network of design activity is formed. Thus, it is possible to structure a specific model from the generic knowledge base within a KBE system.

EnvironalPlanning: an analytical network process model for environmentally conscious construction planning

Although the construction pollution index has been put forward and proved to be an efficient approach to reducing or mitigating pollution level during the construction planning stage, the problem of how to select the best construction plan based on distinguishing the degree of its potential adverse environmental impacts is still a research task. This paper first reviews environmental issues and their characteristics in construction, which are critical factors in evaluating potential adverse impacts of a construction plan. These environmental characteristics are then used to structure two decision models for environmental-conscious construction planning by using an analytic network process (ANP), including a complicated model and a simplified model. The two ANP models are combined and called the EnvironalPlanning system, which is applied to evaluate potential adverse environmental impacts of alternative construction plans.

Innovative approach to building systems integration problems: Using systems theory, technological forecasting and scenario planning

Building services are worth about 2% GDP and are essential for the effective and efficient operations of the building. It is increasingly recognised that the value of a building is related to the way it supports the client organisation’s ongoing business operations. Building services are central to the functional performance of buildings and provide the necessary conditions for health, well-being, safety and security of the occupants. They frequently comprise several technologically distinct sub-systems and their design and construction requires the involvement of numerous disciplines and trades. Designers and contractors working on the same project are frequently employed by different companies. Materials and equipment is supplied by a diverse range of manufacturers. Facilities managers are responsible for operation of the building service in use. The coordination between these participants is crucially important to achieve optimum performance, but too often is neglected. This leaves room for serious faults. The need for effective integration is important. Modern technology offers increasing opportunities for integrated personal-control systems for lighting, ventilation and security as well as interoperability between systems. Opportunities for a new mode of systems integration are provided by the emergence of PFI/PPP procurements frameworks. This paper attempts to establish how systems integration can be achieved in the process of designing, constructing and operating building services. The essence of the paper therefore is to envisage the emergent organisational responses to the realisation of building services as an interactive systems network.

Language transmission in the family in Wales: an example of innovative language planning.

This paper examines the achievements to date of Twf (“Growth”) — a project initiated as part of language planning efforts in Wales to encourage families to bring up their children to be bilingual. Evidence is presented of the ways in which the project has succeeded in raising awareness of the advantages of bilingualism amongst parents, prospective parents and the public at large by working strategically with health professionals and Early Years organizations, and by developing a range of highly innovative promotional materials. Given the central importance of the family as a site of intergenerational language transmission, the achievements of this project are likely to be of interest to those concerned with language planning in other minority communities in many other parts of the world. The lessons for language planning both in Wales and in other settings are discussed.

Judgments of path, not heading, guide locomotion

To steer a course through the world, people are almost entirely dependent on visual information, of which a key component is optic flow. In many models of locomotion, heading is described as the fundamental control variable; however, it has also been shown that fixating points along or near one's future path could be the basis of an efficient control solution. Here, the authors aim to establish how well observers can pinpoint instantaneous heading and path, by measuring their accuracy when looking at these features while traveling along straight and curved paths. The results showed that observers could identify both heading and path accurately (similar to 3 degrees) when traveling along straight paths, but on curved paths they were more accurate at identifying a point on their future path (similar to 5 degrees) than indicating their instantaneous heading (similar to 13 degrees). Furthermore, whereas participants could track changes in the tightness of their path, they were unable to accurately track the rate of change of heading. In light of these results, the authors suggest it is unlikely that heading is primarily used by the visual system to support active steering.

Verification and FPGA circuits of a block-2 fast path-based predictor

This paper formally derives a new path-based neural branch prediction algorithm (FPP) into blocks of size two for a lower hardware solution while maintaining similar input-output characteristic to the algorithm. The blocked solution, here referred to as B2P algorithm, is obtained using graph theory and retiming methods. Verification approaches were exercised to show that prediction performances obtained from the FPP and B2P algorithms differ within one mis-prediction per thousand instructions using a known framework for branch prediction evaluation. For a chosen FPGA device, circuits generated from the B2P algorithm showed average area savings of over 25% against circuits for the FPP algorithm with similar time performances thus making the proposed blocked predictor superior from a practical viewpoint.

FPGA organization for the fast path-based neural branch predictor

This paper develops cycle-level FPGA circuits of an organization for a fast path-based neural branch predictor Our results suggest that practical sizes of prediction tables are limited to around 32 KB to 64 KB in current FPGA technology due mainly to FPGA area of logic resources to maintain the tables. However the predictor scales well in terms of prediction speed. Table sizes alone should not be used as the only metric for hardware budget when comparing neural-based predictor to predictors of totally different organizations. This paper also gives early evidence to shift the attention on to the recovery from mis-prediction latency rather than on prediction latency as the most critical factor impacting accuracy of predictions for this class of branch predictors.

Control of a compliant two-axis robotic arm

In order to ease control, the links between actuators and robotic limbs are generally made to be as stiff as possible. This is in contrast to natural limbs, where compliance is present. Springs have been added to the drive train between the actuator and load to imitate this natural compliance. The majority of these springs have been in series between the actuator and load. However, a more biologically inspired approach is taken, here springs have been used in parallel to oppose each other. The paper will describe the application of parallel extension springs in a robot arm in order to give it compliance. Advantages and disadvantages of this application are discussed along with various control strategies.